Ararat Tamirat, an Ethiopian ethical lifestyle brand-builder creating jobs — Lionesses of Africa

Lioness Weekender spoke to founder Ararat Tamirat about the inspiration for her business, her passion for creating jobs for women, and her love of ethical, sustainable textiles and woven homeware products that are proudly made in Ethiopia.

What does your company do?

Tuba by Ararat is an ethical lifestyle brand, specializing in hand-woven baskets for home accessories and textiles, handmade in Ethiopia. Our products are intricately crafted with timeless tradition, all hand-woven, and hand-dyed with hand-spun yarns. We produce home decorative items and home textiles including handmade pillow cases, and our basket products include, flower vases, wall decorative baskets, planters, floor standing vases, table centerpieces and napkin rings.

What inspired you to start your company?

The market need for designer-made, traditional home accessories and a market gap that I observed while i was working as a junior architect in one of the big name consultancy offices in the country. Also, the unemployed women population in the country needing job opportunities. Plus, less attention for sustainable products to meet the international market need and requirement at this time and age, are some of the reasons that inspired me to start my company.

What makes your business, service or product special?

As an Architect i understand color, pattern, texture and aesthetic value more than my competitors. So the designs I made, and the ideas behind them, together with the representation, make them more than a basket and more than an art form that can stand on their own. Every wall basket has a matching flower vase and pillow case that goes with it so that peoples use sets of handmade products to decorate their homes like the old ages.

Tell us a little about your team

In our business, 35 out of the 39 employees are women, each with the skill of basket weaving. Almost 70% of our women employees have different reasons for not going out and working, so I created a system for them that gives them the privilege of working from home. This means they are able to take care of their children and do other house work as well on a daily basis. They come to my workshop once a week only to bring the basket designs and to take payment, and then take other design projects for the coming week to do.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

I didn’t come from entrepreneurial background and I had to start from scratch when I formed this company. I never knew the first thing about forming a company, so the first thing I did was go and take short-term and long-term courses on entrepreneurship, leadership, management, accounting and other specialist courses that I thought would help my knowledge on the matter at the time. I also spent time trying to set up meetings with other entrepreneurs to talk about their journeys and share their experiences with me in order to give me better understanding of how to lead a company by example.

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

I have a plan to employ up to 500 women under my company by the year 2030. I have plans to open branch shops in different areas of Ethiopia, other African countries, and eventually the rest of the world.

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

The satisfaction of saying that I am a business owner and there is no finger-pointing when something goes wrong. Knowing every decision that I make daily directly impacts my business is the best kind of motivation and satisfaction.

What’s the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

Every business starts as an idea. You get to create it from the ground up. So If you have an idea to make something better or more efficient, make it happen!

To learn more about the work of Tuba by Ararat, or to speak to Ararat directly, send an email to: araratgmtamirat@gmail.com or visit the company website and social media platforms:

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